The Washington critic., 1887-12-22
TOPICS OF THE DAY.
A Grim Joke Played Upon a Smithso.
nian Savant.
OLD STORY ON BEAU BRUMMEL.
A Richmond Lady's Rccollcctions of
John Wilkes Booth.

w 1ikcS
OF all officials in Washington, Public
Printer Benedict is most to be pitied, If
not TO be consoled, says Colonel Ayrcs
of the Kansas City Times, because of the
intense pressure to which he is SUBJ
jected, morning, noon and night, for
employment in the Government Print
ing Office. This, of course, is owing to
the fact that his department is exempted
from the operations Of the civil service
law, and when parties fail to obtain
positions in the other departments, Mr..
Benedict is Immediately placed in siege
until life becomes almost unbearable.
Members of Congress, Senators and ap-
plcants pursue him until he has been
forced TO place sentinels ut his door, and
when he goes home he is obliged to
creep in through the back gate. When
lamentations fail to produce results he is
not infrequently saluted with maledic-
tions, and il is told of HIM that recently
woman abused him SO roundly he has
been looking for her ever since to give
her place.
The residents of the neighborhood of
Thomas Circle have been mystified for
the past few days, says the New York
SUMS Washington correspondent, by the
appearance of large flag floating from
the roof of house next door to the
residence of Postmaster-General Villas.
The flag is composed of two broad bars
of blue with white bar between them.
Passers-by looked at it floating in the
breeze and wondered what it could be.
1t could not be Signal Service indica-
tion, for the plain blue flag denoted a
snow storm, which was flying over the
signal stations when this mysterious en-
blem appeared. The house over which
it fioated had been vacant for several
months, and so its occupants were un-
known to the residents of that section.
Inquiry revealed the fact that the alter
nate bars of blue and white compose the
merchant flag of the Republic of Guate-
mala, and that the house over which II
floats is now the residence of Don Man
uel Montufar. charge d'ailaires ad in
terin. The other legations in Washing
ton display no flags.
.*x
"Was Wilkes Booth Us handsome as
his brother Edwin" asked "The Cos
sip of the Philadelphia Ners the other
other day OF Richmond lady. "Thats
according to ones fancy" answered the
lady, refectively. "You see, Edwin has
the Italian style OF manly beauty, while
Wilkes had the clearer, cleaner-cut
features and more intensity in his ex-
preston. His nose was thin. and
nquilinc and his eyes smaller, but moe
piercing than Edwin's. was such n
little tot when saw him that hardly
remember his looks. My mother had
his picture, which she always said was
exactly like him. Though l don't re-
member his looks, do remember him.
Many and many night he would re-
turn home with my father after the
play was over. There was always n
warm supper and warm welcome
Tor my fathers guests after the
theatre doors were closed. Those were
days of stock companies, and Rich
mond has been the cradle in which
many of the now famous American
actors were first taught to test their
strength. Almost every night my
father would drop in the Richmond The
atre, where he had box, and 1t was
seldom that he came home alone. The
first thing that Wilkes Booth would do
would be to make for the nursery, where
lay asleep. He seemed giant to me
when he would hold me up aloft and
straddie me across his shoulders. / re-
member one night his taking me down
stairs and setting me ON silver butter
valva that stood imbedded in flowers in
the centre of the table, whence ] was
rescued by my colored nanny, whose
muttered ejaculation was: Them
play actors is de debble.' He
was passionately fond of children
I've heard my mother tell about u play
he used to act in, in which there was q
child The Sea of Icc,' think it was
and she said lie was so loving to tht
little thing, and she would nestle in hi
arms in the wings until her time came
to 20 on the stage. Just before tn,
blockade began which divided North
and South, when the cannon had an
nounccd that Virginia had seeded
Wilkes Booth and the Richmond STOCK
Company seemed to disappear in tht
mist that was rising to overcloud thu
once united country. Masks ant
Faces was the last performance givcr
Nv tiS oih pi'y -uoiNc thtb haN 'HS'
sheltered so gay crowd"
w.
A few days ago Gen. Sheridan m,
his wife succumbed to the fascination
Of nickel weighing machine and re
corded their respective weights on
dial before the eyes of II small Grove
gathered at railroad station in Wash
ington. Mrs. Sheridan, who does no
look as though she weighed more thai
one hundred and thirty pounds, tippe'
the recording finger Of the machine i'm
I'll it registered 100. Her famous hus
band, who wore n heavy military oven
coat, was found to weigh lS4 pounds.
~
When two of the most distinguishes
Senators in public life called upon Sec
retury Bayard the other morning an,
insisted upon an appointment in tn
consular service for one of their con
tiluenis, says the New York Herdld'
Washington correspondent, the secre
iyiy replied that he had nothing which
would pay the man to accept. 81
iaa't particular about the salary" on
Of the visitors observed. "a thousan,
dollars year will suit him." "a thou
srnl dollars year!" echoed the Secre
i!rv sarcastically "Wlv | can find fiy